NBA Betting Odds January 21: Clippers vs. Cavs, Spurs vs. Suns
Carrie Stroup here with your NBA betting odds for Thursday night’s games including the Clippers vs. Cavs and Spurs vs. Suns.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (27-14) at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (29-11)
Cleveland -6.5, Total: 202.5
Both the Clippers and Cavaliers will be going for their second straight victories when the teams meet in Cleveland on Thursday.
The Clippers most recently faced the Rockets in Los Angeles and came away with a 140-132 victory. They shot an incredible 51.6% from the floor and will need a similar type of effort in order to defeat a very good Cavaliers team.
Cleveland responded to its blowout loss against the Warriors with a 91-78 victory as a 12.5-point favorite in Brooklyn on Wednesday. The Cavs have now won two of their past three games SU and have covered in three of their past four.
The last time these two teams met was Feb. 5, 2015, and the Cavaliers won that game 105-94 as four-point favorites in Cleveland. They are 3-1 both SU and ATS against the Clippers over the past three seasons and an impressive 15-3 SU and 12-5 ATS versus them in Cleveland since 1996.
One trend that sticks out in this game is that the Cavaliers are an impressive 11-5 ATS when playing against teams with a winning record on the year. They are also 4-1 ATS versus teams that shoot 46% or better from the field this season.
The Clippers are coming off of a big victory over the Rockets and will now turn their attention to the Cavaliers. PG Chris Paul (18.2 PPG, 9.6 APG, 2.1 SPG) is averaging 21.6 PPG, 9.8 APG and 3.2 SPG over the past five contests. He had 28 points and 12 assists against the Rockets on Monday and has really raised his game with Griffin out of the lineup. He’ll need to be extremely aggressive in his matchup with Kyrie Irving on Thursday.
SG J.J. Redick (16.6 PPG) is on fire coming into this contest and will be counted on to continue scoring for Los Angeles. He had a career-high 40 points in 39 minutes against the Rockets on Monday and is shooting 55.6% from the outside over the past five contests. If he can continue to knock down outside shots then it will take pressure off of his teammates.
C DeAndre Jordan (11.7 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 2.4 BPG) coming back was a major spark for the Clippers against the Rockets. He had 16 points, 15 boards and two blocks in 41 minutes that game and did not show many signs of weakness after dealing with pneumonia the past two weeks. Jordan will need to own the glass and protect the rim against the Cavs on Thursday.
The Cavaliers looked awful in their meeting with the Warriors two games ago, but they bounced back to defeat the Nets on Wednesday. One thing that is working in the Cavaliers’ favor is that SF LeBron James (25.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.4 SPG) has played fewer minutes in the past two contests. James played just 29 minutes in a win over the Nets on Wednesday and he played 33 in the loss to Golden State on Monday. He is playing 35.7 MPG this season, so perhaps he will enter this one fresh. The Cavaliers need him to be on his game against the Clippers in this game.
PG Kyrie Irving (15.8 PPG) will also need to play well for Cleveland. He is really struggling recently, averaging just 8.5 PPG over the past two contests. He is 7-for-18 in those games and must shoot better and just be more active overall for the Cavaliers.
PF Kevin Love (15.6 PPG, 10.9 RPG) was excellent in Cleveland’s win over Brooklyn on Wednesday. He had 17 points and 18 boards after having just three points against Golden State on Monday. The Cavaliers will continue to work to get him more touches moving forward and he’ll need to have a big game against the Clippers on Thursday.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS (36-6) at PHOENIX SUNS (13-30)
The Spurs will be going for their 12th straight victory when they face a struggling Suns team in Phoenix on Thursday.
San Antonio has been one of the best teams in basketball this season and its 112-83 victory over Dallas on Jan. 17 was its 11th straight victory. The Spurs’ offense has been top notch over the course of this winning streak, as the team has shot 50% or better from the field in six of its past 11 games. If it can stay hot then there is not much of a chance that this Phoenix team can win.
The Suns have been miserable over the past month, winning just two of their past 18 games. They did cover in a 97-94 loss as 5.5-point underdogs against the Pacers on Tuesday, but it was their only cover in the past five games.
In two meetings between these teams on the year, San Antonio has won by an average of 23.5 points. The Spurs are 8-2 SU and 5-4 ATS over the past three seasons when facing the Suns, but Phoenix is 2-2 both SU and ATS when hosting San Antonio in this matchup. San Antonio is a remarkable 18-5 ATS after two straight games giving up 10 or less offensive rebounds this season. The team is also 9-1 ATS when playing only its fifth game in five days on the year.
PG Tony Parker (Hip) is expected to miss this game for San Antonio and PF Jon Leuer (Back), PF Mirza Teletovic (Ankle) and PF Markieff Morris (Shoulder) are all questionable for Phoenix.
The Spurs are the hottest team in basketball at the moment and they have a golden opportunity to keep their winning streak alive against a lousy Suns team. One guy that will be given a bulk of the touches for San Antonio in this game is SF Kawhi Leonard (20.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG). Leonard is averaging 21.5 PPG on 60.7% shooting in two meetings with the Suns this season and Phoenix just doesn’t have an answer for him on either end of the floor.
PF LaMarcus Aldridge (16.1 PPG, 9.0 RPG) will also get a ton of looks in this game. Aldridge had 21 points and 12 boards in his only meeting with Phoenix this season and he has been playing extremely well as of late. Aldridge has scored 22 or more points in three of the past four contests and he is shooting 54.7% from the field over the past five. Phoenix is depleted at the power forward position due to injury and Aldridge should be able to feast inside in this one.
While the Spurs are one of the league’s hottest teams, the Suns are one of the league’s coldest. The one good thing for this Phoenix group is that SG Devin Booker (8.7 PPG) is seeing extended minutes and he has really thrived in them. Booker had a career night against the Pacers on Tuesday, finishing with 32 points in 40 minutes of action. He is shooting 44.6% from the outside this season and the Suns will need to get him some touches in good spots on Thursday.
Phoenix will also need a superb game from PG Brandon Knight (19.7 PPG, 5.1 APG) if it is going to have any shot at winning here. Knight is averaging 20.8 PPG over the past four contests, but he is shooting just 25.9% from the outside in those games. If he does not find his shooting stroke then it is extremely unlikely that the Suns can keep this game close against one of the league’s elite teams.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
